Be a Lullaby for Rebirth
by Spinny Roses
Summary: The Shadows still lurk within their host's body... still affecting the world (semi-explicit death and sexuality, YuugiAnzu, JounouchiSeto, part two of "Shadow and Release" arc)


**Disclaimers, notes, and warnings:**

Y'know, "'Cause I Will Shape the Day" was supposed to be a one shot. I wasn't supposed to get anymore ideas for that particular storyline. It was just supposed to be this stupid idea that wouldn't leave me alone that didn't want a sequel.

Damn you, Chibizoo, for giving me ideas with your gross and disturbing stories, as well as that gods damned fic contest. I doubt I'll submit it. It doesn't fit the rules of being from the point of view of the evil character.

Again, I had a very interesting selection to listen to, but this time I had Kajiura Yuki songs added in. Yes, Noir and .hack//SIGN OSTs. And this time my laptop booted up on the first try. Yes, my baby is a good baby yes you are!

*cough* You didn't see that.

The warnings are the same, except drop the "non-explicit" part. This story will be much more explicit in terms of sexual situations and violence. Yuugi/Anzu and Jounouchi/Seto are still the couplings, so I'm still dealing in heterosexuality and homosexuality. I'm still trying to not refer to the other Yuugi as "Yami Yuugi," so look forward to interesting ways I get around that.

And finally, the title comes from "Key of the Twilight" from the first .hack//SIGN soundtrack. And I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I wish I owned it, because that manga is so disturbing during the beginning and Anzu...

I'm not drooling. Nope. Don't look at me like that. The fic's starting.

Be a Lullaby for Rebirth

By Spinny Roses

The deaths dropped off briefly after Jounouchi's collapse. Shadow activity almost ceased completely, a surprise to the Pharaoh. Both he and his surface self entertained the idea that they had won, and things would be back to normal.

Kaiba wouldn't let anyone see Jounouchi. Every time Yuugi had gone to see him, he had been turned away at the gate. Though, every time...

Jounouchi was awake. Yuugi was sure of it. When he went to see his friend, Jounouchi would talk to him through the speaker system. They would chat for a little bit, Yuugi shyly letting Jounouchi know he had finally asked Anzu out and she had accepted, but whenever it would come time for him to ask to see his friend in person, Jounouchi would back out, refusing.

His friend... reduced to a voice over the speaker...

The Pharaoh has tried once, challenging Kaiba to a duel. If he won, he would see his friend again. But, oddly enough, Kaiba had refused to even duel against him.

Yuugi looked up at Kaiba's mansion, then pushed the familiar button. "Kaiba-kun? It's Yuugi."

Silence, then, "Hey, Yuug'."

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi smiled a little. "Kaiba-kun doesn't usually let you answer the gate speaker."

"Cameras, Yuugi. He saw you coming, and decided he couldn't take his time off the paperwork. Hey, do you know he's trying to get me caught up on schoolwork so I can come back to school soon?"

"That's great! Honda and Anzu and I have really missed you, Jounouchi-kun."

"Speaking of the little vixen..." Jounouchi's rich chuckle filtered through the speaker. "How was the date?"

Yuugi blushed, remembering. "It was great. She dressed up in this black little dress and we went out to eat at this nice restaurant. I mean, she..."

"Yuug'!" A mock scandalized voice reached the small teen's ears. "Are you telling me Anzu sexed herself up and you didn't take advantage of it? After all we've been through..."

Yuugi let out a delicate cough. "We kissed?"

"Oh come on. You've had this crush on her forever, and you just _kissed."_

"Jounouchi-kun, not everyone moves as fast as you do."

An awkward silence met that statement. "Kaiba isn't holding me here for sex, Yuug'," Jounouchi said softly. "Yes... you did interrupt us that one time, but... never mind. The paperwork should be processed by Monday. I'll see you in school then."

"Jounouchi-kun, wait. I'm sorry... that was uncalled for. Jounouchi-kun?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry..."

***

The nights were always quite different. During the day, he was normal. The Shadows lay dormant, sleeping. Conserving their strength, one might say. The nights, however...

A rip filled the air, as well as quiet cursing about a favorite shirt. To silence the words, a passionate kiss took the place of vocal hatred. His hands moved to his lover's wrists, binding them together with the ripped fabric.

Steady brown eyes watched equally stable blue eyes, and a similar smirk fell on each face. Shadows flickered in each feature, pulling the smirk to ghastly proportions.

It was time for the night to truly begin.

***

Yuugi tapped his pencil on the paper, bored. He was tempted to write Jounouchi another note, but the teacher had nearly caught the last one. At least it was nearing summer. Vacation time, spent with Jounouchi or Anzu...

He blushed faintly, imagining what could happen during the summer. Jounouchi had been back in school for quite a few months, and had been surprised at how quickly Yuugi's height had shot up even in the month and a half he had been out of school. Now that Yuugi was getting taller... almost tall enough to kiss Anzu without her bending over...

A folded sheet of paper landed next to the tapping pencil, startling Yuugi out of his daydream. He quickly opened it, scanning the words.

'Yuugi, nose? You're gonna bleed all over the paper.'

"He's right, my partner," the Pharaoh told Yuugi as he wiped his nose.

'It's not funny. Besides...' Yuugi took a closer look at the paper. 'That might be Jounouchi-kun's style, but look at the handwriting. Feminine.'

"...ah." The other Yuugi proceeded to laugh even harder at that. "I'd bet she's flattered, though."

'It's really not funny, my other self. Anzu's really going to chew me out for not paying attention.'

The former Pharaoh had no answer to that. He was laughing too hard.

***

His lips descended down past those sweet lips, and pressed gently against the sweat soaked skin of his neck. His lover gasped, head thrown back so to allow for better access. Panted pleas filled the air, asking for more.

More...

Just as gently, his teeth bit into the skin before him. That nip didn't even leave a mark. Another bite, this time harder. His hips rolled, and his hands clenched uselessly.

He needed more...

***

"Are you... okay, Anzu?"

"Hm?" She pushed a lock of styled hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I was just thinking... about what I was going to do after high school."

Yuugi looked over at her, slowing his pace. "You said before you wanted to go to America. Become a dancer?"

Anzu sighed, and stopped, pulling off her heels. "I'm having second thoughts. I mean... I have so many memories here in Domino. To just pack up and leave..." She shook her head. "I know that's still a year away. Yuugi, what are you going to do?"

"Hm." Yuugi tilted his head back, looking up at the normal shadows and the stars. "I was thinking about staying here. Staying... taking over the shop after Grandpa. I didn't have that many plans after that."

The girl almost looked disappointed. "Oh."

Yuugi smiled, tilting his face up to look at her eyes. "But we'll see once we get there, right?"

Anzu looked around, then gave Yuugi a little kiss. "Yeah. We will."

***

The bites had started to draw blood. Slowly, he turned his attention lower, to the bared chest. The Shadows skirted across the sensitized skin, causing him to arch his back with a gasp. He followed the Shadows, nipping his way across the delicious expanse of skin before him.

Unseeing eyes leaked tears, the liquid running down his face to soak the pillow. His body jerked, aching for more.

Please, he begged.

He begged as teeth ripped into him without mercy.

***

The murders started soon after summer break had started. This time, things were different. Before, the consequences had been insanity or death. Now...

Genetics started to play a role.

Some of the lucky ones had died right off. The ones that weren't lucky were mutated by the Shadows. They were mutated into mythological monsters such as a vampire or werewolf. The mutated ones soon started their own murders, adding to the death toll and the media blitz.

The Pharaoh constantly tried to talk to his outer self, warning him that he could be next. But he refused to listen, caught up in the chemical reaction called love.

And the Shadows continue to play.

***

Slowly, he removed the last articles in his path. Pants and briefs were thrown carelessly to the floor, and his fingers gently stroked the skin before him.

Blue eyes closed, still steady in their blindness. It was an automatic gesture. Those eyes hadn't been able to see for months, but still he reacted as if they were real instead of glass fakes.

His hands clenched and relaxed, aching to touch. But he couldn't.

It was the game they played.

***

Soon after classes had resumed for fall, Kaiba had been out of school. Rumors spread about a fictional shame that had reached the company, or the fact his company wasn't doing the best and he had to make sure it was.

The real reason soon reached Yuugi's ears. Jounouchi had confided in him, strained.

"Yuug'... Kaiba's real sick, you know? He's started to have this really bad headache, and he says his vision's fading." Jounouchi drummed his fingers, his face thin. "The doctors have taken him out of school, doing all these tests."

"Jounouchi-kun... it's probably nothing. Stress."

The taller teen shook his head. "N-no... they say... he's got a good chance... a good chance of losing his eyesight completely."

Yuugi blinked, stunned. "Oh Jounouchi..." He hugged his friend, feeling the muscles shake against him. "I'm sorry..."

***

Lips ghosted gently over the scars littering his lower half, then lavished over the unmarked and sensitive skin. Those lips curved into a teasing smile, gently licking his way up a rigid proof of arousal.

Sobs escaped his throat, rolling his hips as his erection was teased mercilessly. It was torture to feel this much arousal, so prolonged.

He pulled back from the erect cock before him. Ignoring the whine that escaped his lover's throat, he went to work on pulling himself out of his pants.

Shadows pressed in closer, eager. Eager for the final act.

***

"Yuugi... oh, my partner..."

Yuugi mangled the white rose in his hand. "Why," he whispered back to his darkness, "did it have to be her?" He closed his purple eyes, a tear escaping. "She died... Anzu..."

They said it had been painless. Her heart just gave out while she slept. The Pharaoh turned all his attention to his other self, trying to comfort him. "Partner..."

"It was the Shadows. I know it," Yuugi replied, fiercely. "They killed her. They stopped her heart."

"You can't beat the Shadows, partner," the darker half told him, worried. "Not like this."

Yuugi just lifted his head, a strange glitter in his eyes. "But the Duel Monsters could. Believe in the cards, right, my other half? They were real monsters before, during your time."

"My partner..."

"Teach me, my other self. Magic. Teach me how to summon the monsters."

"I don't..."

"Bullshit. You remember by now. Teach me."

***

Kaiba had been in and out of school soon after the funeral. When he first came back, a bandage covered both his eyes, keeping the blind stare from alighting upon a person. Each time he left, Jounouchi tried to confide in Yuugi.

"They said it was cancer... they have to take his eyes out..."

"The cancer wasn't... it... they found another tumor on his lungs..."

But each session was cut short as Yuugi became more and more focused on his other studies. His other self refused to teach him how to summon, and thus he had gone to the darker Bakura.

Said tomb robber was more than happy to teach him in return for something. Yuugi refused to give him the puzzle, but parted quite easily with the God card in his possession in return for the lessons.

When Kaiba finally came back in time for finals, it was obvious what the Shadow infection had done to him. His eyes refused to focus, being the glass fakes they were. He had lost weight to the point Jounouchi had to hold him upright, even while sitting.

Yuugi didn't care about that. The Shadows had infected the town. They had to be driven out.

***

A card was held tightly in his grasp. Defense... it was the first card he had drawn. Slowly, Yuugi raised it, calling the Mystical Elf out into the real world.

The monster materialized before him, only to be ripped to bits by a Man Eater Bug. Mystical Elf bits rained down around him, but it gave him time to pull out his favorite card.

"Dark Magician, to me!"

The dark thief smiled, seeing the bloodthirsty look in the normally innocent young boy. In Bakura's hand was a way out, but he stood there, matching stare for stare with Yuugi's monster. "Good job," he said softly as the monster started to attack. "You pass."

The Pharaoh watched, appalled as Yuugi raised the card, studying the flesh and blood that had landed on it. Slowly, Yuugi's tongue flicked out, cleaning the card completely.

"The Shadows don't stand a chance." A psychotic smile crossed his face as he licked his hand clean.

"Partner..." The other Yuugi's words fell on deaf ears, as they had for weeks now. He kept trying to talk Yuugi out of it... but it was now too late.

Yuugi gathered up Bakura's cards, calmly ignoring the carcass that held the precious cards. "Thank you, Bakura," he purred, taking back his God card. "Be seeing you."

***

The cards he had managed to get a hold of made quite the startling collection. Yuugi had managed to snag a Blue Eyes, as well as a few of Jounouchi's former favorite cards. Flame Swordsman... Red Eyes Black Dragon...

Yuugi supposed he had enough to find the host back. He smirked, toying with his Dark Magician. "Oh, Jounouchi-kun... poor, poor boy." With a smooth motion, he slid the card back into his pocket. "Still the Shadow's host..."

And that's how Yuugi ended up in front of Kaiba's mansion again. Briefly, he felt a flicker of concern for Mokuba and Seto, but it died just as quickly. He would kill the two if they got in his way.

After all, didn't his dark self say the Shadows couldn't do anything with a dead body?

Yuugi raised the Red Eyes Black Dragon card high. "Eyes of blood, dragon of darkness... to me!" A roar answered his cry, followed quickly by the gates crashing. The teen stepped smoothly through the rubble, gathering a collection of cards in his hand.

No guards. But when the Shadows are the guards, humans aren't needed, are they? Yuugi snorted, fanning his cards out. Spirit of Purity and Light... one of his new, and extremely rare cards. Lazily, he called the monster to his side to defeat the shadows, and started into the house.

Apparently Mokuba wasn't home. Vaguely, Yuugi had a memory of Jounouchi saying that the brat would be staying in the hospital, just in case he also started to show signs of illness. That was just one less person to go through. He walked boldly up the stairs, allowing his monsters to defeat the Shadows that attempted to kill him.

Kaiba's house had too many doors, Yuugi realized, irritated. He opened another, and closed it. "Bathroom." Open. "Guest room." Close. Open.

Yuugi froze, blinking. The room was rather small in comparison. In the middle of the room was a bed covered in Shadows. They soon scattered, peacefully, to show what was on the bed.

Jounouchi captured Kaiba's lips as he rolled his hips into the rich boy. Slowly, Kaiba turned his head away, his sightless eyes seemingly focused on Yuugi. Then his body stiffened, his bound hands curling as he reached his climax. The smaller teen watched, fascinated, as semen jetted forth from his cock, splashing across both of the boy's bodies. Soon after, Jounouchi slammed into Kaiba, hard, shuddering his release.

Yuugi couldn't move. What he had seen... it...

Kaiba let out a choked gasp, his face in pain. Gently, Jounouchi stroked his face, whispering sweet words. "It's okay... Seto... they are too much now. It's okay..."

"J-jou..."

Jounouchi kissed his forehead. "Don't be afraid. You'll be back."

"K-katsu-ya... I..."

Slowly, Jounouchi looked up at Yuugi. "Are you here to do your duty, Yuugi? Or is it because your girlfriend died?" He pulled out of Kaiba's limp body. "I lost people I loved, Yuugi. Shizuka died in a car accident... my father... and you can check Seto's pulse. It's not there anymore." He cleaned himself off, calm. "You aren't special."

"Those damned Shadows," Yuugi hissed. "You... killed them. Your father... Kaiba... Anzu... you'll pay, damn you. You'll pay."

Strangely, Jounouchi didn't answer.

"You fucking mutt!" Yuugi yelled, holding a card in his hand. "Won't you answer?"

"The Shadows didn't touch Anzu. Or you. Or if they did... only briefly. You were my friend..." Jounouchi covered Seto's body. "But even that brief touch sent you insane, didn't it."

Yuugi's eyes narrowed. "Liar."

"Believe what you want, Yuug'." Jounouchi smirked. "You know you can't beat me. You were training so hard. The Shadows watched you and Bakura fight. But believe right now it was for nothing. The Shadows have been away from where they should be for too long. Natural selection, survival of the fittest, all that."

"Liar!"

"Do I?" Jounouchi asked, voice odd. "Am I lying? What does the other Yuugi say?"

Yuugi hesitated. "He agrees," he lied. "Those Shadows are unnatural... they should be locked away!" He raised a card over his head, calling the monster to him.

Jounouchi watched, fascinated as the card burst into flames in Yuugi's hand. "I told you, Yuug'." The card fell onto the floor, and the rug the card fell onto caught a few sparks. Jounouchi stepped forward, grabbing Yuugi's hand as he cupped his cheek. "You don't understand, do you?"

"Let me go."

Slowly, the taller teen moved his hand to Yuugi's mouth. "I don't think so." He pulled the spiky haired boy to him, hugging him. "You really were a good friend." The fire spread around them as Jounouchi kissed Yuugi's forehead. "Anzu will be happy to see you."

And Yuugi fell to the floor, his neck having been snapped.

Jounouchi slid the Millennium Puzzle off his friend's body. "I'll keep this for safe keeping." He started to the window, then looked back at Yuugi and Kaiba.

"You called it a virus, Seto. It is. It should have co-evolved with us... but we refused to let anything be higher than us in the food chain." The blond slipped the puzzle into his pocket.

"But it will be back. That is how it should be, after all."

The End

End notes:

Okay! Let's see if I can keep this the end of the arc and not have any more ideas. And plot bunnies... Daddy bought a BB gun. It works very well, as you can see from the hole in our garage door. Don't bother me until after finals week, bunnies.


End file.
